A retaining wall is a
structure that holds or retains soil behind it. It works like a dam and stops the movement of
soil. They may be helpful if your house is on a slope or hill and are a must
for a safe home. Retaining walls in Santa Clara are built to support soils at unnatural angles.
Retaining walls are categorized in four categories:
1.
Gravity walls
2.
Cantilevered walls
3.
Sheet pile walls
4. Anchored walls (Image source: Wikipedia.org)
Gravity walls: Gravity walls are dependent on their mass to
apply a resisting force ro the soil behind them. They may also have a setback
to improve stability. They are generally built from stone or may use
prefabricated concrete blocks. These have a tendency to slide or topple.
Cantilevered wall :
Cantilevered
retaining walls are steel reinforced concrete walls . These walls look like an
inverted solid “T” . they convert the hor izontal loads behind the wall to
vertical load in the ground below.
These
walls may be expensive but are topple proof . There is also a very little chance
for sliding.
Sheet pile wall: sheet
pile walls are made by hammering sheets of wood, steel or vinyl into the
ground. Generally 1/3 part of the wall is kept above the ground. These are used
on soft soils.
Relatively easy to built in areas with soft soils . No toppling or
sliding.
Anchored : an anchored wall can be a gravity wall, cantilever wall,
sheet pile but with additional structure for providing additional strength
using cables or anchors which are generally driven into soil. Anchored walls
increase the strength of walls which would otherwise too weak to handle soil
loads.
Retaining walls in Mounta in view have become an important accessory in landscaping. House
owners are increasingly using retaining walls to improve the aesthetics. They
may also serve as a patio seating area. Traditionally retaining walls were
built with wood and stones.
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